


Not Done Falling

by Emma_The_Savior_Swan



Category: House M.D.
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-24
Updated: 2012-08-23
Packaged: 2017-11-12 18:35:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/494368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma_The_Savior_Swan/pseuds/Emma_The_Savior_Swan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Cameron left Princeton, she thought that she was leaving behind House, as well as her feelings for him. But there was no hiding from what her heart wanted, and there was no hiding from House, either.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Dr. Allison Cameron had a date tonight. She often found herself wondering why the only men she went out with were ones that she worked with. It didn't take long for her to answer her own question. The men she worked with were the only ones she saw. Her life consisted of waking up in the morning, preparing for work, going to work, and going home. She desperately wished for a social life outside of the hospital, but knew that, with her schedule, it was nearly impossible. However, she didn't technically work with Dr. Carter Reynolds. She was, after all, the head of immunology, and he was the head of pediatrics.

It had been just over a year since she left Princeton. Left Chase. When she allowed herself to think about their relationship, she realized, with sadness, that she always knew things wouldn't work out between them. After weeks of him chasing her, after she ended their physical relationship, she returned to him out of pity. At the time, she didn't know this. She had truly convinced herself that she had been being stubborn, and that deep down, she had feelings for him. And she did. They just didn't extend beyond friendship. Occasionally she wondered if the reason that their relationship failed was because she had had her heart set on House, but when those thoughts came up, thoughts of him, she pushed them down as quickly as they popped up. But, if she was to be completely honest with herself, she would discover that no matter how hard she tried to forget him, she never would. The more complicated question was; did she want to?

When she had received the job offer from the dean of medicine from Mayo Clinic, she was apprehensive to take it. She hadn't, in fact, sent in a resume. The administrator, Dr. Jason Temple, explained that it had come to the attention of her former supervisor, the one she worked under during her internship, that the head of immunology was retiring, and he had been quick to suggest her name. Despite her misgivings about leaving Princeton Plainsboro, she actually sent her resume, engaged in a phone interview with Dr. Temple, and just like that, she was offered the job. Deciding that five years at one hospital, and one year in a loveless relationship was quite enough, she accepted, ended her relationship with Chase, and moved to Minnesota.

But not before saying goodbye to House. She had stood outside his office, her heart beating wildly in her chest. Why? She hadn't the faintest idea, but she simply couldn't control it. Realizing that she was either going to do this or not, she opened the door, after knocking softly, and walked in. He was seated at his desk, and appeared extremely focused on his computer screen. She wasn't completely sure she wanted to know what it was exactly, that he was staring so intently at. Knowing that pretense was useless when conversing with House, she skipped right to the reason she stood before him, nervous, despite her desperate attempts not to be. "I came to say goodbye." She said, quietly. Too late, she noticed that he hadn't actually acknowledged her presence, but decided that there was no way he couldn't know she was there. She was right. A short pause passed after the simple sentence was spoken, before House turned his chair slowly, as to focus his gaze on her. He said nothing. "I got a job offer in Minnesota." She explained, "I'm leaving tomorrow. I just thought you might want to know." The confidence she worked so hard on developing, just so she could stand tall when confronted with the task of speaking to him, shattered as she attempted to validate her decision. "It's really a great offer; higher pay, my own office. I would-"

"I get it." He finally spoke. "Good for you. Good luck." He nodded, and turned away from her. She was hurt beyond words, but couldn't for the life of her figure out why. Perhaps it was because she expected him to break down, and beg her to stay. But she was a smart woman, and she knew that that would never happen. Maybe she had simply wanted him to ask her about the job. She realized sadly, that he probably didn't care.

She nodded, and said, "Goodbye House. I mean what I said before. I'll miss you." By before, he knew she meant when she had resigned from working with him. After she turned and walked out of his office, her words hit him hard; knowing that he might not ever see her again put a new perspective on his feelings for her. Did he have feelings for her? He wondered. Of course he did, was the answer. Were they romantic? Friendly? Or something else entirely? He pondered this as he watched her walk down the hall outside of his office, and with disappointment he didn't understand, realized that he would probably never know.

And so she had left, as planned, and made a life for herself in the land of 10,000 lakes. Things had been going remarkably smoothly; she settled into her new position without problem, found a nice town home, and grew accustomed to the weather. That is where she is today, in a job she enjoyed, a home she felt comfortable in, and nearly done getting ready for her date. Cameron spritzed perfume onto her wrists, and heard the doorbell ring. She glanced briefly at the clock; 6:43. Carter wasn't supposed to arrive until seven. Confused, but convinced that he had simply arrived early by mistake; she walked to the door, and slowly opened it. And found she was staring into a pair of eyes so blue; they could only belong to one person.


	2. Chapter 2

"Aw, you dressed up just for me! I didn't think you knew I was coming." He said, and pushed his way into her home. Yes, this was definitely House, she thought. Unconsciously, she smoothed down her hair and dress, and mentally chided herself immediately afterwards.

"What are you doing here House?" She asked bluntly.

"What? No, 'hello House,' 'it's nice to see you House?'" He threw out.

Cameron sighed deeply before saying, "No. And you know why? I don't warmly welcome people whom I haven't seen for a year, and who show up randomly at my door!"

House returned a sigh and explained, "It isn't random. I just didn't want to let you know I was coming, because then you wouldn't let me."

"Let you come? You didn't think I would let you come?" Too late, she realized that she had given away too much, and with that sentence, she also realized that there was absolutely no way she could deny to herself how she felt any longer. "Hold on a second." She said with a hint of sadness in her tone. Without question, House sat down and waited while she walked into the adjoined kitchen, and he heard her pick up the phone. "Hi Carter. I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to go out tonight." He heard a pause on her end as 'Carter,' whoever that was, House thought, responded. "I know it's late notice, but something has come up." Another pause. "I really am sorry. I had an…" There was a different kind of pause while she searched for the right word, "unexpected guest stop by." Carter, disappointedly, told her that he understood, and surprisingly, didn't ask who this 'unexpected guest' was. "Thanks for being so understanding." A final pause as he politely ended the conversation and Cameron hung up the phone. After she did, she wondered why Carter hadn't questioned her at all. Was it because he didn't care? Doubtful. He didn't want to know? Likely. Sighed for what wouldn't be the last time that night, Cameron exited the kitchen, and unceremoniously plopped down in the chair opposite the couch House was seated on.

"Who's Carter?" He asked impatiently. Unlike the man he was asking about, House didn't know how not to question somebody about something he was curious about.

"Somebody I was supposed to be going on a date with tonight." She said with irritation unhidden in her voice. 'Until you showed up.' She left out that part of her statement, however. Again, she wondered to herself about her own actions. Why did she cancel her date? She could have just as easily told House to leave. Well, maybe not just as easily. Still, she had been looking forward to seeing Carter outside of work, and she had probably just ruined any chance of a relationship with him. A better question was; did she care? And then she remembered her earlier statement, 'You didn't think I would let you come?' and she knew. No, she didn't care. While Cameron had been thinking through all of this, she had sat in silence, prompting House to do the same. Silently, he looked at her, as he had so many times before. Again, he couldn't help noticing how beautiful she was. She had let her hair return to its natural, dark brown color, it was still long, and hung in lovely waves over her bare shoulders. Noting that her shoulders were, in fact, bare, he worked his gaze downward. She wore a deep blue, strapless dress, which hugged her every curve. He was reminded of a similar bright red dress that had garnered an uncontrollable reaction from him years before. Unfortunately for House, Cameron finished thinking before he had finished checking her out. Even more embarrassingly, House's eyes had settled on her chest, so she looked down, and said with amusement, "My eyes are up here." She thought for a second that she might have seen him blush, but she knew that was ridiculous. He looked up, and into her eyes, which he found just as stunning as the rest of her. Again, he looked at her, but didn't speak to her. He found himself lost in the depths of those expressive blue-green eyes, and simply couldn't speak. "House?" She said quietly, a bit offset by his intensive staring. He shook his head, snapping himself back to reality.

"I need your help." He admitted.

Surprised, Cameron said the only thing she could think of, "Why?"

"I od-ed about a week ago. I actually almost died." He said, and grunted in what could only be called a laughing manner. Though saddened, Cameron couldn't for the life of her figure out what about that required her help. Noting her confused, upset look, House continued, in an attempt to explain himself. "I realized that I didn't want to. Die, I mean."

"That's good." Cameron said, "Because I don't want you to die either." Intended to lighten the mood, it actually had quite the opposite effect.

"I need to stop." He said, confusing Cameron even further.

"Stop doing what? Taking Vicodin? But, you're in pain, you-"

"No," he cut her off, "I need to stop taking too much of it. I really don't want to die." His last sentence was spoken in his usual sarcastic way, but she could see the sincerity behind it.

"I'm glad you've finally realized that." She told him.

"Yeah. I need your help." He reiterated.

"So you've said. I want to help; however, it would be wonderful if you could tell me what it was you needed help with."

"Taking less Vicodin."

"Yes, House, I got that, thank you. How do you want me to help you take less? Follow you around and stop you from pulling the bottle out of your pocket?" She was distressed now, and it showed.

Desperate to gain her assistance, House said, "No. Well…not exactly. First, I need you to help me detox." Cameron's eyes widened in shock.

"You're asking me to help you detox? Why not Wilson, or Cuddy, or-"

Again he cut her off with, "Because you'll do it right. You're used to taking my crap. I can be an ass to you all I want while I'm detoxing, and you'll take it in stride, like you always do. You won't complain and tell me to behave, because you know that I won't. You also won't guilt me for waiting so long, or pity me." By now, Cameron's eyes had returned to normal size, but she was still stunned. He thought that she would be a better detoxing buddy that Wilson or Cuddy? That she wouldn't guilt or pity him? And that she also would 'take his crap in stride,' because she knew how? It didn't make sense, his reasoning. But then again, when did it? So with this in mind, and knowing that it would be a long, hard road ahead, she agreed.

"Fine."

"You'll do it?" He asked, happy, but interested in why it had been so easy.

"Yes. I do have one question though." She said, a sad smile forming.

"Shoot."

"How did you know I would do it?"

"You love me." He said matter-of-factly, as though it were that simple.

"I do, do I?" She questioned, in a sarcastic tone that almost matched his usual mocking voice.

"Yep."

"So what do I get out of all of this? The satisfaction of helping somebody put their life back together?" She asked.

"Come over here." He demanded, apparently abandoning the subject.

"What, I-" Again, he didn't wait for her to finish her sentence.

"Just do it." Rolling her eyes, she rose, and sat next to him. He turned to her, and without

pretense, brought his lips to her, and kissed her slowly and passionately, until she could no longer breathe. When they had both come up for air, he said, "You get more of those."

She smiled and said, "I like that compensation, but I do have one more question."

He kissed her lightly, "What more could you possibly have to ask?" He wondered aloud.

"What is this?" She asked, and upon seeing his knitted brows, continued. "Do you want a relationship? Do you just want to sleep with me? I've wanted you for a long time. I fell hard for you, but you never felt the same way. I tried to move on, but you can see that I haven't. If you hurt me again…" She trailed off, knowing she had said more than she intended to.

"Cameron," he said, kissing her again, "I don't want to hurt you." And for now, that was enough of an explanation for her.

They shared another deep kiss before she said, "Good, because I'm not done falling for you."


	3. Chapter 3

Cameron sat next to House on her couch, pondering the events of the two months that had past since House asked her to help him overcome his Vicodin addiction. She briefly looked over at him. He looked healthy, and happy. Happy to be alive. Seeing a simple expression of relaxation on his face as he flipped through channels was enough to make her grateful she had agreed to assist him in detoxing. The same night she told him she'd help, he called Princeton Plainsboro and told Dr. Cuddy that he would need a month off. She immediately refused…until he explained the purpose. Though confused as to why he went to Cameron, and not her or Wilson, she allowed him medical leave, simply glad that he was taking the steps to break his addiction. In turn, Cameron had requested a month off from Mayo, stating that a family emergency demanded her attention. House had been eavesdropping on that particular conversation, and was filled with pride by how seamlessly she told a lie.

And so it went. For a month, Cameron nursed House through nausea, headaches, and fevers, and dealt with his often unbearable moods with grace. These symptoms were eased however, by a drug known as buprenorphine. It also helped that Cameron didn't immediately take away all Vicodin. She simply lowered his allowance of it each day, until his body was no longer dependant on it. After 30 long, hard days, the two of them succeeded in getting House off of Vicodin. But despite having freedom from his addiction, House was still in pain.

Both House and Cameron decided that it wasn't the right time for him to return to New Jersey. Cameron wanted him to be as close to pain free as possible when he left her, and secretly, she hoped that he would never leave. Because of the pain, Cameron initially suggested physical therapy. House was incredibly resistant to the idea. However, he eventually decided that anything that could lower the amount of pain he was in was a good thing, and began attending physical therapy three times a week. Cameron went back to work, and House continued staying with her. It bothered House slightly that he had only one weeks worth of clothes with him, but he certainly wasn't flying to Jersey and back to Minnesota to pick up some extra T-shirts and underwear.

Another month passed, after House requested to have his leave extended, and they fell into a comfortable routine. In the morning, Cameron would get ready for work, they would eat breakfast together, and she would leave. During the day, House would watch television, listen to music, or read, and occasionally, he would run errands for her, such as grocery shopping, or picking up dry cleaning. One day, he even went out to buy himself some new clothes. Surprisingly, he could sometimes go for hours without noticing even a twinge in his leg. He wondered if it was from the physical therapy, the comfort of having somebody caring around, or a combination of the two. He would still use the cane in public, but when at home, he would set it against a wall, and be perfectly fine without it. Often, when Cameron returned from work in the evening, House would have dinner prepared, but no matter how many times this happened, she was pleasantly surprised each time she walked in to the smell of dinner on the table. When they were finished eating, Cameron would clean up, and they would watch television until they went to sleep; House in the guest room, and Cameron in her bedroom.

Despite living together for two months now, they didn't qualify themselves as being in a relationship. Before the detox process began, it was decided that they would wait until House was perfectly healthy before pursuing a romance. Even though House was now healthy, Cameron still tried to keep herself at a distance, knowing that he would have to return to Princeton eventually. This night, as she sat next to him, she knew she needed to ask about him returning to New Jersey. She knew she needed to ask about him leaving her. "House?" She said tentatively. He turned towards her and gave her a look saying, 'Yes?' "You're feeling better, are you not?" She asked.

"Yes…" He answered, with apprehension.

"So, I don't think Cuddy is going to let you stay here much longer." She admitted.

"I don't think so either." He said, and sighed.

"I'm glad I was able to help you." She said quietly, and her eyes began to water.

"I'm glad you agreed to help me. Oh, come on now, don't cry." He tried to sound nonchalant about it, but it hurt him to see her crying because she thought he was leaving, especially after everything she did for him. But he was glad that she only thought he was leaving. One admittance from him, and her tears would stop.

However, before he got to say anything, she muttered, "I'll miss you." House briefly reflected on how many times the woman next to him had spoken those words in sadness, and could hardly wait to explain to her that he wasn't, in fact, leaving her.

"You won't have to." He said.

"What do you mean? Do you not want me to miss you?" She asked.

"No. I'm not leaving." Her eyes widened and her mouth hung open in shock.

"What do you mean you're not leaving? What about Princeton, your team, the-"

"Foreman's taking over my team in Princeton. I'm going to be working at Mayo Clinic. With you. Here." He explained, and an actual smile began to form on his lips.

"Are you sure? House, I don't want you to leave, but you love Princeton. You've been at the same hospital for years. I don't think the doctors at Mayo are going to be as lenient as Cuddy was. Do you really want to change your whole life just to live here with me?" House could hear to nervous excitement in her voice, and the simple presence of excitement was enough to assure him that he had made the right decision.

"I guess I'll just have to behave. Now that I don't have a drug addiction, maybe I'll be a bit easier to deal with." Cameron laughed through her now lightly falling tears.

"I didn't even know there was a job offering." She stated.

"I didn't either, but I figured, if I'm staying in Minnesota, I mind as well try to get a job at the best hospital in town."

"So, which department are you working in? I don't think there's a diagnostics department at Mayo."

"Ah…how little you know about your workplace." He chided gently. "They're in the process of developing one. I'm going to head it up." He said proudly. Cameron's smile grew and her tears evaporated.

"You're sure this is what you want to do? What about Wilson? And Cuddy? They're your friends; I know you're going to miss them." She worried aloud.

"It isn't like I'm never going to see them again. We'll visit each other, talk on the phone. There's even this wonderful new invention called e-mail. I'll be fine, I'm a big boy." He reassured her in his sarcastic way.

"All of this? Just for me? Up until two months ago I didn't even know you were interested in me, and now you're moving half way across the country to be with me. We haven't even started an actual relationship." She reminded him.

"Well…we're just going to have to change that, aren't we?" He said, and before she could speak another word, he pulled her in for a kiss, the first they had shared since the faithful night he had appeared on her doorstep, looking for help. Looking to change his life. When they finally pulled apart, and sat there, staring into each other's eyes, they were both certain that the decision House had made was the right one. It may have been impulsive, and maybe they would both regret it later, but smiling at each other, the taste of each other's lips lingering, they were okay. Better than okay. They were happy. Happy to be alive. Happy with change.


	4. Chapter 4

"Dr. Cameron!" A young intern called out. Cameron looked up from her desk to see the new doctor, Marilyn Stevens, standing at her door.

"Yes?" She responded.

"Did you hear? They finally found someone to head up the new diagnostics unit!" Stevens enthused. Stifling a laugh, Cameron feigned ignorance.

"Really? Do you know who it is?" She questioned.

"I believe I heard the name Gregory House. Hey, didn't you work for him?" Stevens questioned.

"I did. For three and a half years." Cameron answered.

"Wow. Do you still keep in contact with him? What's he like?"

"I just talked to him recently. He's a good doctor; I think Johansen made the right decision." Cameron explained, referring to the dean of medicine.

"Probably. I've just heard some rumors about the way he practices. Are they true?"

Cameron smirked and said, "I wouldn't believe everything you hear." Dr. Stevens smiled, thanked Cameron for the information, and left.

Two more weeks had passed since House told Cameron about his decision to move to Minnesota. In that time, the two of them had flown back to Jersey, put his town home up for sale, and moved everything that they didn't sell in the yard sale they held over to Minnesota. Unfortunately, when the possessions of both of them were lumped together, everything didn't fit in Cameron's town home. Therefore, they had made the decision to put House's larger items in storage, and look for a home together. Both had realized how quickly things were moving, but whenever they spoke of it, they agreed that they had waited long enough to be together, and neither of them wanted to delay the relationship any more.

House continued attending physical therapy classes, and the pain in his leg had all but dissipated. In another week, House was settled into his job at Mayo clinic, and was working hard at not only running the new department, but running it ethically. One day, Cameron knocked on the door of House's new office, and walked in without waiting for a response. He sat alone, once again engaged by a computer screen. Upon hearing her enter, he looked up and granted her a small smile. She sat down across from him. "So, how's the search for your new team coming?" She asked kindly.

"Horribly. None of the applicants come close to qualifying." He explained.

"Maybe you shouldn't set your standards quite as high. I'm sure there are plenty of adequate applications you've looked over." She suggested.

"Here then, you read them." House requested, and handed over a stack of manila folders.

"Then you take a look at these." She said, and handed over three sheets of paper, each with a picture of a house, and information about the pictured house on them.

"Our newest possibilities?" He asked, but it was more of a statement. Cameron nodded, told him to consider the homes, and tell her what he thought about them when he got home. He agreed, and she quickly kissed him on the cheek before leaving him to think about the many choices he had to make. That night, House returned home about an hour later than Cameron. Because of their often different working hours, they continued to drive themselves to work, rather than riding with each other. House wandered into the kitchen and saw Cameron preparing some kind of Italian dish. He smiled and walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist, and resting his head on her shoulder. She relaxed against him and told him dinner should be ready soon. He murmured his approval, but didn't back away from her. She had no problem with this, and continued cooking the pasta. Eventually, he had to release her from his grasp so she could set the table.

As they sat together eating, House pondered how oddly domestic his life had before in such a short period of time. What was even odder to him was that he didn't mind. He greatly enjoyed the time he spent with Cameron, and sitting down to dinner with her was one of her favorite parts of the day.

"What are you thinking about?" She asked him.

"This." A simple answer, but she knew exactly what he meant, mostly because she had been thinking about the exact same things. Six months ago, she never would have guessed that her life would become this. Sitting down to a home cooked meal with a man whom she had believed cared nothing about her. She also couldn't believe that soon they would be sharing a home together, starting a life together.

"Do you ever want to get married?" She asked, before she could stop herself. House nearly choked on his spaghetti, and she regretted her question even more. Silence reigned in the room for so long she thought he might never answer.

But finally he said, "Yeah. Someday." And Cameron let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. What if he had said no? She wondered; would he have walked out on her? Ended their relationship completely? She liked to believe that he cared enough about her to never do that, but she could never quite understand the inner workings of his mind. "Are you okay?" He asked her.

"I'm great. Relieved." She answered honestly. He didn't bother asking why she had been worried in the first place, because he already knew. He knew she hadn't meant to ask about marriage, that the words had simply slipped from her mouth. She had thought he would be angered, that he wouldn't know what to say. That maybe he would have left her. It saddened him that she still wasn't completely comfortable in their relationship, but he understood that she would need time for her confidence in him to grow. He knew it would take a long time for her to feel secure with him, but he was okay with that. She waited for him, and was willing to wait for her. Their dinner finished quietly, with only the occasional question about work, and House shared his thoughts on the home choices she had given him. He liked choice number two. When he had told her this, she smiled. It was her favorite pick too. "Do you want to look at it this weekend? There's an open house on Saturday." She asked.

"Yeah, let's do that." He said, and smiled. Things were going okay. Smoothly. He could only hope that they would stay that way. He wondered if maybe the cosmos were balancing everything out. He had never believed in such things, but he had also never believed that he would be in a romantic relationship with Allison Cameron. The first few years of their 'relationship' could be, at minimum, called turbulent. Now things were running just fine, and possibly, that was the heavens way of making up for all the troubles they had had. This was Thursday night, and Friday went much the same way; wake up, go to work, go home.

Saturday morning as they were getting dressed; they now shared Cameron's bedroom, though they were yet to actually 'sleep together'; Cameron asked House, "Are you sure you're ready for this? Buying a home together is a big step, and I know things have been going so-"

"I'm ready. Are you?" He cut her off with a short reassurance.

"Yes."

"Good." A half hour later, and they were exiting House's car in front of a lovely three story home. It was spring, making the grass and the leaves on the trees in front of the home green, and House thought that all this home was missing was a white picket fence. "Uh…Allison, why do we need such a big place?" He asked, remembering the home looking much smaller on the computer print out. Her eyes widened, and she was nervous as to how to answer him.

"Well…there's a family room and a living room so your furniture could go in one and mine could go in the other. There's four bedrooms, so one could be the master, we can put your bedroom furniture in one and make it a guest room, you could use one as an office, or a library, or you could put your piano in there…and one could be for…well…" After talking at rapid speed, she trailed off, not wanting to tell House what the fourth bedroom could be for.

"Ok, that all makes sense," he conceded, "except for the fourth bedroom. What's that for?" He asked, and Cameron damned his perception skills. She had hoped she confused him enough by speaking quickly to prevent him from noticing her apprehension to speak of the fourth bedroom's purpose, but that was clearly not the case.

She sighed and confessed, "I was thinking, that if the time was ever right, and that if you wanted to, we could…maybe have, a…um…" She was too anxious to complete her sentence, but House did so for her.

"A baby?" He asked, and he didn't sound nearly as surprised as Cameron imagined he would.

She smiled sweetly and said, "Yeah. I know you were saying you wanted to get married someday, and I've always wanted children, or just one child, and I was thinking that would be the next natural step, but I didn't think you would want to-"

"Allison. If the time is right; if we do get married, then yeah, we can talk about having kids, but for now, why don't we just go inside the house and see if we really want it." House took full control of the situation, and Cameron completely relaxed. He really had changed, she thought. This man, who believed with his whole heart that people didn't change, actually did, and all it had taken was a detox and a new job, and maybe, Cameron thought, she had a little something to do with it as well.

So they stepped inside, and were greeted by lovely wood floors, and blank walls. This home that they stood in could be theirs to mold into a place to raise a family. Together, in this place, they could have a life together, and they knew it immediately. And so, one home tour later, they placed an offer. The real estate agent said she would call them by the end of the day to let them know if the house was theirs. Convinced that their offer was high enough, House and Cameron went for lunch and a movie, before settling down at home, where House watched a baseball came, while Cameron cooked dinner.

At 6 o' clock PM the phone rang. Stepping away from the stove, Cameron picked it up, and was told that their offer had held, if they still wanted to purchase the house. She reassured the realtor that they did, and the next day, she went with House to the realtor's office, and after what seemed like hours upon hours of paperwork, they owned a home. Afterwards, driving home together, they both had trouble containing their excitement.

"I can't believe we just bought a house." Cameron said breathlessly.

"I can." House argued playfully. She turned to him and smiled.

"You don't think this is going too fast?" She asked for what could have been the thousandth time.

"No. I think it's going fast, that's for sure. Too fast? No."

"I don't think so either. Is that weird? We've been seeing each other for about three months, and already we're buying a house together."

"It would be weird if we didn't know anything about each other. But we're not just two random people who met one day and hit it off. We've known each other for years Allison. You know that. We've already been through a lot together and made it through relatively unscathed. If two people can do that, I don't think buying a home together is too big of a step." He reminded her. Those statements held enough power, enough truth, to convince Cameron that they had made the right decision. The right decisions. And even though she knew there would be many decisions to come, she knew they would make it through, and come out the other end 'relatively unscathed.'


	5. Chapter 5

Allison Cameron and Greg House sat together on their living room couch, flipping lazily through late night television, Greg's arm resting comfortably over Allison's shoulder, her side pressed to his. It had been a quiet Saturday, consisting mostly of Allison grocery shopping while Greg lay around the house reading a book, and watching television alternately. As Greg passed by scintillations of long-forgotten favorites, Allison looked around at her home. Her and Greg's home. If you would have asked her five months ago what she thought her life would be like five months from then, she would have answered something along the lines of, "Probably just the same. I'll have the same job, the same apartment, and the same pathetic lack of relationships." Her line of thinking couldn't have been more wrong. In the five months that had passed, Greg House had thrown himself back into her life; she had helped him overcome an addiction that had spanned years, begun a relationship with him, and bought a home with him. She was stunned at how quickly everything had happened, but she didn't regret it for a minute.

After purchasing the home, House and Cameron had gone out together that weekend and selected paint colors for every room. Personally, House had seen no problem with keeping the walls of the home different shades of off-white, but Cameron had insisted that if they were going to be living in their home for a long time, she didn't want to be staring at a blank expanse of nothingness every day. So, with her insistence, House had folded, and went with her, to help her select the colors for the living room, family room, kitchen, dining room, the master bedroom and bathroom, the guest bedroom and bathroom, and the third bedroom, which was going to be used as a library. The fourth bedroom was left blank for the time being, because the issue of its use was still a slightly uncomfortable topic for the new couple.

Due to their incredibly busy work schedules, they hired painters to come in and add color to their home for them. During this time, which lasted only one month, the two still lived in Cameron's apartment. Once the painting was finished, a moving crew brought House's family and bedroom furniture out of storage, and put the family room furniture in the family room of the new home, and the bedroom furniture in the guest bedroom. He had no dining room table or chairs, having sold them in Princeton with Cameron after he told her about his decision to live in Minnesota. The moving crew then brought Cameron's family, dining, and bedroom furniture to the new home, placing her family room furniture in the living room, her dining furniture in the dining room, and bedroom furniture in the master bedroom. Moving all of the furnishings had taken but one day, and when that day was finished, they spent their first night in their new home, having already sold Cameron's town home, and House's back in Princeton. The profit gained by the selling of those two properties was actually a major part of what was paying for their new home's transformation.

The next day, they had gone out and shopped for a table and chairs for the kitchen's eating nook, and chairs, lamps, and bookshelves for the library. Again, the fourth bedroom was left untouched. The third floor of the home was actually a finished basement, which Cameron allowed House to turn into a rec room, and a very large one at that. With Cameron's financial assistance, and his own money, House had purchased a pool table, an air hockey table, a foosball table, a plasma screen TV, a leather couch, and two massaging chairs. Cameron also let him select the color of the walls, and he chose a dark blue. Though originally resistant to the idea of turning the basement into a "teenage-esc play land," Cameron had warmed to it, and now enjoyed spending time downstairs unwinding by enjoying a quick game of pool with House, or using a massage chair. The entire process of painting and furnishing the home had taken only two months, and House and Cameron were now comfortably settled in. "It's official." House stated, "There is nothing on TV."

Cameron smiled and said, "Well…there's got to be something else we could do." Meaning to refer to the many entertaining games in the basement, House had interpreted her message as something much more intimate.

"You're right." He said, and turned to her, pressing a kiss to her lips, and then quickly pulling away, catching her off-guard. A tense second hung in the air before she leaned into him for another kiss, much longer and more passionate this time. And then she knew; this was the moment she had been waiting for. The right time; and she saw in his eyes that he felt it too. She pulled away from him, and held his gaze while lightly grasping his hand and leading him up the stairs to their room. She hardly had to lead him at all. Together, they fell upon their bed, and finally came together, after they had both waited so long. Later, Cameron lay in bed along with House, resting her head on his shoulder, her hair tickling his bare chest. He slowly turned to her and said, "Allison, there's something I should tell you, and I need you to listen, without interrupting."

He sat up, and felt her tense beside him, but she eventually answered, "Ok. I'm listening."

"You know we've been though a lot together," He said, and her heart raced; she thought something was terrible wrong. "and I can't imagine what my life would be like now if you hadn't helped me to become a better person." She relaxed; maybe he wasn't trying to tell her something horrible. "I've lived without you before, so I know what it feels like. I don't ever want to miss you again." Cameron's eyes widened, but she couldn't allow herself to believe what her mind was telling her to think. "What I'm trying to say is," House said, and took a deep breath, "will you marry me?" Cameron breathed in sharply, and promptly began to cry. "Allison? Please, don't cry. You don't have to say yes. I'm not going anywhere." House quickly backtracked. Damn! He thought, I knew it was too perfect.

However, his thoughts we stopped dead in their tracks when she answered, "Yes. Yes, of course I'll marry you." before sitting up to give him a quick, sweet kiss. Tears still rolled down her pale cheeks, and he reached over to wipe them away.

"Yes? Then why are you crying?" House, who was an extremely difficult man to confuse, couldn't comprehend why his girlfriend, well, now his fiancé, was crying when she had just accepted his marriage proposal. Isn't this what she wanted? He wondered.

"I'm crying because I'm happy." She answered, and didn't help clear House's confusion at all. Before he could inquire more, she explained, "I'm surprised. And happy." He nodded with as much understanding as he could hope to have, and turned over again, to open the drawer of the nightstand.

He pulled out a small, red velvet box, and said, "Will this make the waterworks dry up?" and for a second, he was his usual sarcastic self. Cameron looked down at the box in his hand, which was opened to reveal a beautiful engagement ring. With a two carat diamond in the middle, and two half carat diamonds on each side, set in gold, it was the loveliest piece of jewelry she had ever seen. However, it produced the opposite effect House had wished for. Cameron began crying more, and threw her arms around his neck, nearly knocking the ring box out of his hands. Careful to not hit her, House removed the ring from the box, and slid it onto her finger. She detached herself from him and held out her arm, to see how the ring looked on her delicate finger. It was perfect.

She smiled broadly and kissed him deeply, which began the same event which had taken place earlier in the day. They fell asleep that night in each other's arms, dreaming of what the years ahead of them would hold. Filled with delightful thoughts of a family and the life she had always dreamed of, Cameron was assured for the hundredth time that she was certainly not done falling for Gregory House, and she never, in her entire life, would be.


	6. Epilogue

The wedding was absolutely beautiful. It was everything Cameron had every dreamed of. She wore a lovely strapless, off-white dress with intricate beading and a long train, while House looked more handsome than she had ever seen him in a black tuxedo and bow-tie. They wed in June, outdoors on the shores of Lake Superior. Foreman, Wilson, and Cuddy all attended, while Chase remained in Princeton, not willing to overcome his jealousy to wish his friend well. Cameron's parents, two older brothers, younger sister and other family members were delighted to meet House's parents and extended family. The reception took place right on the beach, where a dance floor had been laid down. Caterers had outdone themselves with several delicious dishes, and a local bakery had prepared a white, four tiered cake decorated with pink, and cream colored roses. Late into the night, happy couples danced in each others arms to the rich tones being played by the jazz band Cameron had hired. Twice, House even took a seat at the piano and entertained their guests with artfully played pieces. People who had known House before Cameron changed his life, were stunned by how completely happy he was with her. Though slightly confused by his seemingly unexplainable turn around in attitude, and perhaps even personality, they were thrilled to see him dancing with his new bride, without being in pain.

House and Cameron honeymooned in Hawaii, and nine months later, the couple finally had a use for the still bare fourth bedroom in their home. Though the pregnancy was unexpected, and both had their misgivings in the beginning, their excitement to be parents grew along with Cameron's belly. In March, she gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, whom they named Matthew Jacob. Before the delivery, they had painted the nursery a powder blue, and bought a crib, changing table, dresser, and a rocking chair. In one corner of the room, a gigantic teddy bear was placed, and a pastel green, yellow, and blue rug was laid down on the floor. Obviously, bottles, diapers and other baby necessities were purchased as well. A friend of Cameron's, a nurse from the hospital, held a baby shower, where she received a stroller and more clothing and toys than she could count.

When Matthew was two years old, House and Cameron decided that they wanted to have another child. It wasn't difficult. For reasons unknown, perhaps because of Cameron's increasing age, or maybe because things had been going too easily for them, and the cosmos decided they needed a challenge; Cameron became pregnant with twins. Identical twins Samantha Rose and Sarah Rachel brought a whole new dimension of crazy to the House family's life. The library that House so dearly loved had to be converted into a nursery for the baby girls. Its deep burgundy walls were replaced by a soft pink. Cribs and a dresser took the place of bookshelves, and a changing table now stood where the leather couch once was. Because Matthew's furniture was made of a darker wood that wouldn't look good with the light color of the walls in the girl's room, the changing table rocking chair, and crib, which were no longer needed, were sold online, and a children's bed with safety bars was put into the room. Everything else remained the same. Well, at least in the bedrooms.

During fall, spring, and winter, the children attended daycare. In the summertime, a nanny was hired. Both House and Cameron were able to keep their jobs, which they greatly enjoyed. As the children grew, their rooms and lives evolved. At age three, Matthew spent his first year in preschool, his younger sisters following him two years later, when he left for kindergarten. All three children were extremely attractive, as was to be expected. The girls got their mother's wavy, dark brown hair, but their father's bright blue eyes. Mathew had his mother's kaleidoscope eyes, and his father's strait, light brown hair. As they grew, it became clear that the girls inherited their mother's defined features, and that Matthew had his father's strong face.

Samantha became involved in cheerleading, while Sarah took up soccer. Matt decided that he wanted to play lacrosse, making his father extremely proud. All three children were highly intelligent, and excelled in school, bringing home straight A's on all of their report cards. Despite their mother's shyness during her teenage years, and their father's tendency to stray away from other people, the House children were extremely outgoing, and House and Cameron found themselves arguing with them often about when it was appropriate to spend time with friends, and where it was okay to go. At thirteen, both girls began dating, against their parent's wishes. Luckily, no serious harm was done, but every so often, Cameron would spend an hour up in their room consoling one, or occasionally both, because their latest 'boyfriend' had broken up with them, or because they wanted to break up with their boyfriends, and had no idea how to do so. Matt, though extroverted around friends, was highly uncomfortable asking out girls, forcing House to face the opposite problem; he would attempt to give Matt dating advice, which made Cameron extremely nervous. To both parent's relief; no permanent was done there either.

More years passed, and before they knew it, House and Cameron found themselves sending their eldest off to Brown, where he was planning to major in premed, despite his parent's reassurances that they wouldn't be disappointed if he decided not to follow in their footsteps. When Samantha turned eighteen, she decided against college, instead deciding to follow her passion, cheerleading. Originally meant to simply be a way to meet other young ladies, Sammy had taken to it, and become quite talented. She became a cheerleader for the New York Giants. House didn't enjoy seeing his 'baby girl' 'prance around' in a 'skimpy outfit' on a football field, but Cameron was happy that her daughter was doing something she loved. Sarah became an interior designer, having shown much interest in art, and more specifically design, during her high school years. She went to live quite comfortably in a penthouse apartment in Manhattan. As expected, Matthew became a doctor, and a neurosurgeon at that. He worked at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

Samantha married a player on the Giants at age 21, and had two children, both boys, with him. Sarah married a lawyer she had been introduced to through a friend at age 25, and had five children. Neither husband nor wife had planned on having such a large family, but like her mother before her, Samantha had twins, however, instead of only one other child, she had three; her oldest a son, her second oldest and the middle child daughters, and the twins identical boys. Matthew married a woman he met through the internet, and after having three children, the eldest two girls and the youngest a boy, with Matt, she quit her job as a secretary, and became a stay-at-home mom.

Once their children were grown, House and Cameron had sold their large home, and moved into a town home about the same size as the one they had shared before their relationship began. Parents of three and grandparents of ten, House and Cameron had lives they never dreamed of, but ones that they couldn't be happier with. And every night, as they lay in bed together, they both knew that they would never be done falling for each other, and that they never wanted to be.


End file.
